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Category Archives: Las Vegas Restaurants

Las Vegas has so many great steakhouses, it’s sometimes difficult to choose between them.

Solution: Try them all.

Let’s Delmonico! Which, we admit, up to this point, hasn’t really been a verb.

Delmonico Steakhouse at Venetian is one you’ll need to visit at some point, because it exemplifies many of the things a Las Vegas steakhouse should provide: Outstanding food and world-class service.

Delmonico Steakhouse at Venetian is owned by Emeril Lagasse, one of the few remaining celebrity chefs without a sex scandal.

You don’t need a slick exterior when you have such good cocktails on the interior.

Delmonico opened in May 1999, and while it doesn’t get the buzz of its flashier counterparts, we found the restaurant to be top-notch, with steaks that stand out from much of the competition.

Hint: It’s the rub.

The superb quality of the steaks might also be because they’re dry-aged, in-house. But mostly the rub thing. The steaks are lovingly massaged with Creole seasonings, then get a healthy (so to speak) dab of butter to ensure your meal is memorable.

Get in our belly.

Beyond the exceptional steaks, the service is pure old-school pampering. Expert waiters guide guests through the menu and a wine list with 2,300 selections. And boy are our arms tired.

You know you’re in a fancy joint when they make your Caesar salad tableside.

To get a fresher salad, you’d need to be in a field gnawing on lettuce while it’s still in the ground. If you go that route, please send photos.

Delmonico Steakhouse gets its name from another Emeril Lagasse restaurant in New Orleans, Emeril’s Delmonico.

It’s fancy without being snooty, and tends to be full of businesspersons with company credit cards.

While there’s no dress code, keep it classy. The restaurant’s Web site says, “We recommend business casual attire. However, smart-casual attire is completely acceptable. We ask that gentlemen not wear sleeveless shirts.”

Good luck trying to figure out the difference between “business casual” and “smart-casual.” Translation: Don’t be a schlub, you’ll be good.

We trust those are the vaulted ceilings. We are a blog, not Architectural Digest.

Great food, excellent service and extraordinary company results in a quintessential Las Vegas steakhouse experience at Delmonico Steakhouse in the Venetian’s restaurant row.

Eureka opens Feb. 12, 2018 in the space formerly occupied by the beloved The Beat Coffeehouse, just across from El Cortez.

If you’re having difficulty imagining where Eureka is located, we’ve got a handy photo that
covers the whole north side of Fremont East.

From left to right, it’s Park on Fremont, Evel Pie, Red, Vanguard Lounge, Therapy and Eureka.

While those price points on the menu don’t seem outrageous compared to The Strip, this restaurant is opening on Fremont East. Revelers can get two of the best burgers in Las Vegas at El Cortez or Binion’s for about $5, so we’ll see how Eureka fares.

The disgusting soup, harvested from sharks in an even more disgusting and cruel way, has been a favorite of Asian visitors, despite the controversy surrounding it.

As of Jan. 1, 2018, shark fin soup is no longer an option in Nevada.

You can damn well bet we don’t have any photos of shark fin soup. Just play along.

Now that S.B. 194 has been signed into law, it’s illegal to sell soup or other items made from shark fin. It’s also against the law sell products made from other endangered wildlife like rays, sea turtles, rhinos, whales and others.

Fines for violating the new shark fin ban are $6,500 or four times the market value of the product.

Our first thought when we heard about the shark fin soup ban was restaurants would continue to serve it, taking their chances with enforcement. In the past, restaurants couldn’t afford to
refuse the requests of high rollers because they’d take their business, including big gambling budgets, elsewhere.

Now, that’s simply not going to happen.

While that may not sound like a lot, it would hit a restaurant’s bottom line hard, especially after
repeated violations.

In addition, industry insiders say it’s going to be nearly impossible to get shark fin for soup because distributors and suppliers won’t risk endangering their businesses to please their restaurant clients.

Also, restaurants won’t want to end up on any enforcement watchlists. As with the Health
Department, if you’re caught violating regulatory laws, you get for more attention and more frequent visits and restaurants abhor that kind of scrutiny.

So, it looks like shark fin soup is, at long last done in Las Vegas.

Let’s keep shark fins where they belong. On sharks. In case that wasn’t clear.

In case you’re unfamiliar with why shark fin soup is such a hot button topic, here’s the bottom
line: Shark fins are harvested through “finning,” or the practice of catching a shark, cutting off its fin and throwing it back, alive, into the ocean, resulting in a slow, painful death for the shark. Seriously, WTF is wrong with people?

It’s estimated 100 million sharks are killed globally each year.

For posterity, we should probably list the Las Vegas restaurants known to serve shark fin soup (never listed on the menu, cowards) right up until the ban was implemented.

Our favorite way to bypass parking fees is to get the MGM Resorts credit card. The M Life Rewards Master Card bumps players up to a loyalty club tier where parking is free.

Caesars Entertainment’s credit card does the same thing, but requires a $5,000 a year spend on the card, so they can suck our knackers, a word we didn’t know was a euphemism for “testicles” until four minutes ago.

While parking fees have bolstered the bottom line of Las Vegas casinos, the practice has left a bad taste in the mouth of many visitors. Expect more promotions along the lines of Mon Ami Gabi’s, and similar offers from the casinos themselves, which will be more than a little awkard.

The struggling Lucky Dragon resort has closed its casino and restaurants.

We were the first to report Lucky Dragon was recently put up for sale, and while the resort’s hotel continues to take reservations, entrances to the casino have “Casino Temporarily Closed” signs.

“Temporarily” sounds a little optimistic at this point.

Lucky Dragon’s casino and restaurants closed on Jan. 4, 2018.

Lucky Dragon has had a tumultuous history, including ongoing questions about whether the Asian-themed, boutique resort would be financed or completed.

Even a massive dragon couldn’t change Lucky Dragon’s fortune.

Lucky Dragon officially opened Dec. 3, 2016, thanks in great part to EB-5 financing. With EB-5 financing, investors (typically from Asia) contribute funds to projects and get green cards in return. In the case of Lucky Dragon, those investors will henceforth be referred to as “the monumentally screwed.”

Here’s a statement from Lucky Dragon.

Every time a Las Vegas casino closes, an showgirl loses her tassels.

Optimism for the win!

Despite a strong opening, Lucky Dragon failed to attract its intended customers (including snagging local Asian customers who frequent casinos like Gold Coast and Palace Station), and has made a number of changes to its restaurant offerings.

Normally, this would provide some consolition, but not so much.

Lucky Dragon’s challenging location, on Sahara, just off The Strip, near the Bonanza Gift Shop and SLS Las Vegas, made the resort an long shot, but sometimes in Vegas those pay off.

A Lucky Dragon insider says wild swings in baccarat were major factor in the closure of the casino. Whales (however few) would win big, then leave for bigger resorts on The Strip with more amenities. Casinos obviously rely on guests staying on-site for a chance to win some back.

Remember, Las Vegas was built on miracles. We hope that’s what the future holds for Lucky Dragon.

We were rooting for Lucky Dragon, but haven’t visited in some time, despite the great rooms (we were quoted a rate of $45 for early February), welcoming casino and top-notch (although limited) cuisine.

We’ve heard Lucky Dragon would need at least $90 million from a buyer to cover its first and second (EB-5) tier investors.

It’s unknown what’s next for Lucky Dragon, but here’s hoping employees find other options as the resort tries to change its luck.

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